SHARP LEADS KELLEY RACING SWEEP OF KENTUCKY FRONT ROW

SPARTA, Ky., Saturday, Aug. 11, 2001 - Scott Sharp tipped his hand by
posting the fastest speed in morning practice, and he then followed
through by leading a one-two sweep by Kelley Racing of MBNA Pole
Qualifying for the Belterra Casino Indy 300 with a top lap of 25.1633
seconds, 214.598 mph on Aug. 12 at Kentucky Speedway.

It was the third MBNA Pole of the season for Sharp and the second time
this year that Kelley has swept the front row. Dismore won the MBNA Pole
at Texas in June, with Sharp just behind.

"It was about perfect, a nine-and-a-half or a 10, probably a 10," Sharp
said, rating his run. "Everything just came together for us. We just
tweaked it. We didn't make many changes. It always seems to do well in
qualifying, in the session we don't really care about.

"We stuck a new engine in last night, and it ran really well
this morning."

Sharp led the morning practice at 214.379, just ahead of the
213.831 lap of Eddie Cheever Jr., who led both practices Friday. But
Cheever fell to third in qualifying at 25.3283, 213.200 in the #51
Cheever Indy Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone.

Joining Cheever in the second row is fellow Infiniti-powered
driver Robbie Buhl, who posted a best lap of 25.4715, 212.002 in the No.
24 Team Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G Force/Infiniti/Firestone.
1999 Indy Racing champion Greg Ray rounded out the top five at
25.5390, 211.441 in the No. 2 Johns Manville/Menards
Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone after the Team Menard crew scrambled in the
hour between the fog-delayed morning practice and qualifying to repair a
mechanical malfunction on Ray's car.

Indy Racing Northern Light Series points leader Sam Hornish Jr.
will start eighth in the No. 4 Pennzoil Panther
Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone after a top lap of 25.6532, 210.500. His
closest pursuer in the points, defending event and series champion Buddy
Lazier, will start 11th in the No. 91 Tae-Bo/Coors Light/Delta Faucet
Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone after a best lap of 25.6839, 210.248.
The 200-lap, 300-mile Belterra Indy 300 starts at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) Sunday
and will be televised live on ABC.